Peterson's third wife murdered — now what?

Clint Van Zandt • Profile • E-mail

When former Bolingbrook, Ill. Police Sgt. Drew Peterson’s third wife, 40-year-old Kathleen Savio, was found dead on March 1, 2004 in her own bath tub, her husband was quick to accept the ruling of the local medical examiner that Savio’s death was an accident. Some have since suggested that authorities were too quick to rush to judgment in the death of an otherwise healthy, athletic woman.

Somehow, the authorities came to the belief that she had slipped in her own tub, struck her head, knocked herself out and drowned in her own bath water.  As Sgt. Peterson worked for a local police department, the Illinois State Police assigned an investigator to the death case, an investigator who did not respond to the death scene, who did not attend the initial autopsy, and who otherwise seemed to miss or disregard many critical aspects of the investigation. 

Savio had at least five life insurance policies on her life, the proceeds of which, combined with their joint home and business resources, left Drew Peterson to be the overseer of an estate totaling $3,000,000. Had the contentious divorce between Kathleen and Drew Peterson been adjudicated in the courts, she would likely have received at least one-half of their marital resources, plus a similar percent of his future retirement pension.  Motive enough for murder, many have said.

After the Oct. 28, 2007 disappearance and suggested murder of Drew Peterson’s current and fourth wife Stacy, who was just past her teenager years when Peterson began dating her, while he was still married to Savio, a hue and cry finally arose concerning the relationship he had with his four wives.  His first wife indicated he had cheated on her before their divorce.  His second wife reported he had threatened to kill her and make it look like an accident. We now know that his third wife was the victim of a homicide that someone may have made resemble an accident while his fourth wife may have had, perhaps, the same fate. 

Injuries on Savio noticeable four years later
Now Peterson indicates his disbelief at the finding of murder of his third wife, stating “I’m shocked,” “You’re kidding me,” “Unbelievable,” and “That’s hard to believe.” Interesting comments from someone who knew months ago that Dr. Michael Baden, a pathologist hired by Savio’s family, had come to a similar conclusion and had long ago announced his findings to the world.

Results of this third and latest autopsy, with the last two conducted after her body had been exhumed, verified the presence of multiple bruises on both the front and back of Savio’s body, injuries inconsistent with an accidental drowning but consistent with a beating, or at least a significant physical abuse by an unknown assailant. Her killer left evidence on her bruised arms with knuckles or fingers gripping her body so tightly that marks were left which are still apparent four years after her murder.

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